Salvadoran woman accused of failed abortion has been freed

The suspect spent more than 18 months in custody awaiting trial

Imelda Cortez is a young woman who became pregnant by her stepfather in El Salvador. She was suspected of trying to perform an abortion before giving birth to a baby girl in a latrine. The child survived but Ms Cortez was arrested and held in custody for more than a year and a half. On Monday, a court ruled that Ms Cortez had not tried to kill her child and decided to set the woman free. What does Imelda's release mean for El Salvador and its laws on abortion? Listen to Marcela Martino from the Central America and Mexico Program at the Center of Justice and International Law.
(Picture: Imelda Cortez (C) is accompanied by relatives after she was acquitted and released. Credit: Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images)